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Battle Spirits Rebellion - Chapter 4
< Previous Chapter Next Chapter > Chapter 4 - Sisters “Are you there, other me?” Nova attempts to call, but, just as any time before this, the dragon within her says nothing. She sighs, disappointed that ‘she’ won’t reply even at a time like this. Nova has been captured. Just as they had set foot in a new city, they were ambushed by great numbers and she couldn’t fight back. Their assailants were humans, which means not only her powers aren’t effective, she can’t bring herself to strike, as she doesn’t want to hurt humans. However, even if ordinary humans were the ones which imprisoned her, the handcuffs and chains which they used are clearly something outside of the ordinary, not only she is unable to break free from them, she feels her strength being sapped. ‘Could this be Anti-Brave material? How ironic,’ she sighs once more. Being caged and alone is tiring and boring, she wishes there would at least be a villain there to tell her their evil plans, or that her secondary personality would be more responsive. “Guess sleeping until something happens is all I can do...” She says, closing her eyes and relaxing her body. In fact, saving her energy is the best she can do, as she is already being drained slowly, trying to resist or break free through raw force would only put her life in further risk. Meanwhile, very distant from her, Benkei and Astra try to lose their pursuers, but it’s as if the entire city is after them and there are ears and eyes across every wall. Running is useless, hiding only works for a few minutes at best. They can barely recover their stamina before being forced to be on the run again. “There’s no end to it… Our only hope is leaving the city altogether, I feel they wouldn’t follow us far into the wilderness,” taking cover behind the trash bags on an alleyway, Benkei suggests to escape the city. “But they took Nova! We can’t abandon her,” Benkei won’t say it out loud, but she’s surprised on how well Astra has kept up with her and still doesn’t seem to be exhausted. She took her to be a normal girl, but clearly there’s something more hidden in there. “Can you tell what has happened to these humans?” “Huh? No...” “They’re being manipulated, they’re puppets on the hands of… I’d say something, but the answer is most likely a Brave. Nova can’t or won’t harm humans, and I might get in fights, but I don’t murder innocents. As long as they’re dolls, I’m sure they won’t stop chasing us.” “Isn’t there a way to break the spell?” “Defeating who cast it is the obvious answer. The other one would be protection seals or spellbreaker braves… Neither which are available to us on the scale we need.” “So you mean you do carry a spellbreaker,” as always, sharper than she lets on. “Yes, but it’s just a small blade, a dagger, it won’t free the entire city.” “Give it to me. I’ll save Nova,” Benkei ought to call that a reckless plan, but she’s momentarily astonished. A flame burns within Astra’s eyes, a flame with the radiance of a newborn star. Being faced with that much determination, without saying a word, she detaches the blade hidden on her sleeve and hands it to Astra. “I won’t send you on a suicide mission. Let me think of an operation to ensure your success,” a phrase straight out of the lips of the woman she was one hundred years ago, but she doesn’t feel even slightly awkward voicing it. She’s meeting Astra’s determination with her own. The human puppets chasing them were about to enter the alleyway en masse, but before they could, Benkei emerges out of it, tackling them all while rushing forward. Her body definitely shouldn’t be bulky or heavy enough to take so many in such a fashion, but the enhancements of all the braves hidden on her body turn her into a rampaging wild bull. While she knocks down countless of them, and gathers the attention of many more, Astra sneaks away, aiming to return to the place Nova was captured in. She doesn’t smoothly break free, but those who approach her are slashed by the dagger she was given, which breaks the mind control temporarily. Stabbing into and leaving it there completely breaks the spell, but the stupor of breaking free for a moment, then forcing the puppeteer to redo the control gives her enough of a gap to escape. She was never this courageous, she hadn’t ever hurt someone before. All she ever did when things went badly on her life was apologize and kneel until she was forgiven. Even now, as she swings the dagger at others, she’s thinking ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry,’ but doing it regardless. Benkei’s support gives her comfort, but she’d still choose to do this even without being helped. ‘When did I get like this? Is this that phenomenon where you start acting like the person closest to you?’ She’s surprised at herself. As haughty as it might sound, she’s amazed at herself. If she turned her life into a movie, it would come out as a boring black and white tale of someone who just lowered her head and hoped something good would happen. That is, the life she had until Nova arrived. That’s when she started seeing colors in herself and the world surrounding her, that was the first time her heart ever moved. ‘That might be a little creepy to say out loud, but it’s how I really feel...’ As her adrenaline kept being pumped at the time, she thought nothing of it, it was all very exciting. But once she settled down, when Nova and her made their first camp, in the middle of nowhere, without any bed or warm blankets, she started fearing once more. “Don’t worry, I barely need any sleep, I’ll watch over you,” Nova assured her. At the time, Nova was still a cool older sister whom she could trust, not the clumsy little sister she had to look after, so she managed to relax a little. They’d continue walking, across deserts and forests, swamps and jungles, wherever Nova’s inner compass pointed to. At times, she’d need a hand to climb or jump off somewhere, at other times, she’d be the one helping Nova. Helping and being helped, supporting and receiving support. “You know, I’m a single child, so having someone like you with me is really comforting!” They were bathing on a river when Nova said this, a large smile imprinted on her face. “That’s my line,” Astra answered, amused at how both felt the same way for the other: The sister they never had. After Astra sleeps for roughly eight hours being guarded by Nova, Nova asks for two hours to recharge under the sunlight, which is basically the same as resting, but she insists on phrasing it that way. Astra doesn’t think she can be dependable when it concerns watching over someone asleep, but she can’t deprive Nova from sleeping either. She normally gets bored fast when waiting, which is why she started reading Nova’s diary, just to pass time. But after reading some of it, she became curious and soon it grew into a hobby. Clearly not a healthy one, but she tries not to think about it too much. ‘Entries from before we met...’ The size of entries decreased after meeting with Astra, for a very obvious reason: She no longer was so lonely that her every thought needed to be registered, as if her diary were her only conversational partner. Nova herself left such a note on an early entry, happy that she had someone to talk to. Countless pages that speak of loneliness, a young child wandering aimlessly, holding only the objective of murdering on her mind. But soon cheerfulness filled her pages, as she happily talked about making a friend, then slowly turning that ‘friend’ into her ‘family.’ Some entries almost drive Astra to tears, as they’re filled with the pure love only a child could show. “Get out of the way, I’m looking for my little sister!” She screams, slashing yet another person. The blade only needs to leave a small cut to undo the manipulation, she hasn’t become a murdering machine, she is pretty much scratching people to escape from their clutches. “Other me, you like Astra too, don’t you? I’m worried… I wonder if she’s fine. She’s with Benkei, so she’s most likely safe, right?” She got tired of trying to sleep and reached out for Darkwurm again. “She’s fine. Astra is very powerful, you know too, don’t you?” From an outsider point of view, this girl is talking to herself using two different voices, but to Nova, it’s a voice she long desired to hear. “So it wasn’t my impression, huh? The flame in her eyes is something else. What is she, do you know?” “Just a girl.” “Huh?” “She’s just a girl.” “But...” “That’s what makes her special. She’s just a girl, but holds all that power within her. In a way, we’re not half as strong as Astra.” “Do you think you like Astra more than I do?” “We like her the same.” They hold mutual feelings, both are thinking about the other simultaneously, with the same warmth. Nova first saw Astra as a helpless girl, disrespectful as it might be, since she’s her elder. But then again, when your first impression of someone is them burying their face on the mud while apologizing, then getting kicked without showing a reaction, it can’t be helped. But not long into their travels, it became clear to Nova that Astra had been limited by the Brave Ownership system, her potential and true self had been chained by it. When surrounded by illusions created by Reticulum, she wasn’t fooled, when seeing Nova’s true form, she wasn’t scared. When forced to sleep on the wilderness, without any of the comfort of her home, she fell asleep in a matter of minutes. She faces every challenge with enjoyment, once she was freed from her chains, she stopped carrying fear on her heart. “Have you gone insane from loneliness already?” A dark bipedal goat enters the room, staring at Nova with contempt. “You know, it’s hard to take you seriously when you’re standing ten meters away and your knees are shivering.” “They’re not shivering!” “Of course, of course,” her energy being sapped made her eyes quake, she actually is seeing things. “I assume you’re Capricorn? I can tell you’re a Twelve Zodiac just from your stench.” “Correct. Funny for you, one who exhales deadly fumes, to say someone smells, however.” “And what did you come here to do? You know better than to get close to me, as anyone can tell by how far you’re standing.” “Would you find it foolish if I were to only be curious to know how the Brave Killer looks like?” Capricorn strokes his chin. “Many of your siblings died without ever getting to see this face, so I know what you mean,” she’s trying to provoke him, but it still feels very embarrassing to say something so edgy. “My only siblings are the Zodiacs, the other constellations are just… compatriots.” “Ah, then Virgo… No, nevermind.” She can’t get herself to defile her mother, even if it’s just words. “What did you say?” His complexion changes. He had a cool aura until moments ago, now a storm seems to brew around him. “Virgo has been missing for months now. You can’t possibly have...” “Huh? Anyone missing for months is obviously d-” She suddenly feels intense vertigo, the power of the chains holding her has been doubled in intensity. “How dare you…! How dare you…!!!” A staff manifests on his hand, and he swings it towards her. He clearly wishes to directly hit her, but regardless of how drained she is, getting close is a death sentence. Regardless, swinging his staff also serves as command orders to the puppets nearby. Soon enough, a few of them enter the room, followed by more and more. Humans won’t react to her poison, and, drained as she is, she won’t be able to resist for long. Even normal humans can destroy a monstrous Brave if enough gather. While Capricorn expects Nova to resist, she has no hopes of being able to counter a single person, she feels limp from toes to head. That’s when her rescue arrives, breaking through a window, cutting herself across her entire body in the process, brandishing a single dagger against a Zodiac and countless humans. “Leave my sister alone!” “Astra!” “Stampede over her!” Astra miscalculated. When they’re this close to their controller, the spellbreaker doesn’t work when it scratches them. She swings once, twice, but the human wave isn’t stopped. She drops her dagger and tries to hold them back with her arms, tries to push them back. The more aggressive puppets fling their arms and hit her, the others completely ignore her and just push forward, intent on running over her to reach Nova. A teenager girl obviously can’t hold back dozens of humans of varying heights, weights and sizes, it was helpless from the very beginning. Yet, she still tried and is still trying, she doesn’t have it in her to surrender protecting Nova. The two have protected each other until now, they won’t act any different now. Astra is knocked down and stomped over, she turns around and tries to grab the puppets by their legs, only to be kicked on her arms and face. A few of them reach Nova and start punching and kicking her as well. They’re both powerless to stop this many enemies, they’ve accepted that their own journey might be at the end, but they won’t stop struggling to save the other. “Stop...” “Hurting...” “Astra!” “Nova!” A radiance shines across the room, blinding Capricorn and stunning the puppets. On this world where Braves have rebuilt society so they could stand at the top, they forsake this function, it was seen as nothing but demeaning and humiliating. They’re superior beings, they’re the rulers of this world. It should never happen, they agreed to not allow it to happen. But Nova’s existence is a rebellion towards the system created by them, therefore, even if it is illogical for the Brave Killer to do it, she is also the only one who ought to do it. Because she stands against all the braves stand for. What is the name of the miracle she created? It is called… Braving. “I’ll protect...” “You!” “You!” The two have become as one. Capricorn can’t believe his eyes, this time around his knees truly are shaking. The young girl is clad in dark armor, her eyes shine green, a long tail grows from her back, her hands end in sharp claws. The chains and cuffs that held Nova fall to the ground, the body they kept captive gone. She doesn’t need to think about what has happened, she won’t question it for a second. Because while their connected feelings caused the miracle to occur, the one in control when it comes to battle is the third girl on this relationship. A girl which is cold as ice when it concerns battle, but quite awkward when it concerns her feelings. The girl which joins the battle is christened... Darkwurm Astra. Faster than she ever moved before, she leaps towards Capricorn. There is no need to fight the puppets, only if they get in the way. They’ve been stunned by their Braving either way, as has Capricorn, this is the best chance. She grabs him by the horns and breaks them. The goat manages to let out a single scream of pain, before having his throat impaled by his own horns. Not satisfied, she pulls the horns apart, ripping the goat’s throat open. There’s no blood to flow, it’s like breaking a machine, there is no gore or blood splattering, just mindless pointless violence. She throws the ‘corpse’ upwards and exhales a whirlwind of dark fumes from her mouth, reducing Capricorn to a cloud of purple dust. She’s feeling a high on adrenaline she’s never felt before, she can’t let it end like this. Like a jolt of lightning, she dashes through the city streets, using her inner compass to detect the closest Brave nearby, she’s tracking no one other than… Benkei. She had finally caught a break, as the puppets had finally stopped moving, but the moment she would finally relax and let her guard go down, she feels Darkwurm Astra’s ill intentions, and instantly returns to her battle mode. She can tell it’s something different from anything up until now, but she can’t say if that is supposed to be good or not. Lightning speed meets lightning-fast reflexes, Astra’s surprise attack is parried and she jumps backwards. One millisecond of delay and Benkei’s guts could have been minced, her movement was nothing short of flawless. She could only see a dark blur moving towards her, but still reacted appropriately, that’s the extent of her honed senses. “This is the best battle I can give you. Let’s go, until death,” Astra’s voice is the one saying it, but it definitely isn’t something Astra would say. “I’ll take an educated guess and assume you’re Darkwurm. I’ll leave questions for later. If you think you can beat me, come on!” She doesn’t understand, and considering they’re allies, no one would assume she’d so promptly fight, but that’s how she lives, and how she sees Darkwurm. “You’ve already lost to me, and I was weaker then!” “That time I was playing!” Astra leaps forward again, swinging both her clawed hands like a frenzied wolverine. On the world of a century ago, guns were much more common, Benkei herself was very fond of them. She was capable of reacting to a gunshot, but even if you can hear it and try to evade, it might be faster than your reaction, especially since, on a battlefield, a bullet could come from any direction, at differing speeds and its size made it hard to spot. In short, it was hard to predict, thus hard to properly dodge, even if possible to her. Astra’s attack pattern and size are different from that of a bullet, and be her speed almost equal or higher, that alone is enough for Benkei to be capable of to seeing through it. ‘Parry the left, stab the right, I can counter her!’ She makes her decision on an instant, that’s all she has before it is already too late to move. One of her blades hits Astra’s claws, and the girl vanishes, there’s no oncoming right hand to stab, as she had planned to. Benkei ‘activates’ one of the blades on her wrist, which shoots itself upwards, cutting through her sleeve, and hitting Astra, who had jumped the moment she was parried. This reaction was much more instinctive than careful thought, Benkei just felt Astra would be there, the wind made her feel so, there is no real explanation. Having to block that blade makes Astra slow down for a second, enough for Benkei to grab her sword with both hands and swing upwards, hitting Astra and flinging her away. Like a cat, she lands on all fours, digging her claws into the ground to stabilize. Her eyes shine with wildness, she uses both hands and legs to propulsion herself forward, once more moving fast as a bullet. A heavy blow such as this can’t be parried in order to create an opening, nor can she dodge without becoming open herself, Benkei chooses to bet on blocking it, the most straightforward approach. She will take the entire blow and attack on the opening left from being blocked. However, when betting on that, she is assuming she won’t have her guard broken, which is very possible. Astra’s hands are clasped together, her fingers protruding forward, as if she had used herself as a throwing spear. Benkei holds onto a heavy white blade, it is quite blunt and thick, she thinks of it as a shield and club more than a sword, the perfect match for these situations. She plants her feet deep into the ground, centering her balance not on the ground, but projecting it all the way to the center of the planet. She absolutely won’t be shaken, Astra won’t knock her down. Her ‘shield’ and the ‘spear’ meet, sparks fly. Her guard remains unshaken, all her caution and effort made her able to resist the impact. However… She failed to predict Astra’s flexible style, an attack that only became available on this form. She imagined a warrior of Benkei’s level could block that, so she already had a Plan B on her sleeve. Her tail grabs Benkei’s leg and she spins in midair, successfully making Benkei fall down on her back. Astra pounces on top of Benkei… or at least attempts to, as she is met with a kick to the guts and is sent flying away. Both stand up back again, a few meters apart from each other. Darkwurm Astra was confident that her current form overpowered Benkei, but she’s not so sure anymore, she’s disheartened. All her attacks failed or were countered, there’s something wrong going on. On the other end, holding a similar feeling, Benkei decides to go all out. A loud slashing sound echoes around them, the tip of a blade comes out from within her chest. While she holds countless blades on her body, this is the only one in her body. A red blade covered in flames, a golden hilt covered in symbols. She holds it with both hands and takes a stance, her right leg one step head of her left leg, her hands low, the sword pointing upwards. The most basic stance in swordsmanship, it’s almost an insult. Astra gathers all her strength on her legs. Almost like a spring compressing itself to the utmost limit, she focuses all her energy into moving with the speed of lightning. Faster than a bullet, faster than sound, she only needs one blow that Benkei can’t react to, that alone is enough for her to win. While before they had a great shield face a great spear, this time they’re both using their spears, they’re both pitching the last and greatest of their power against the other. Benkei closes her eyes, she has no intention of catching Astra’s movement with her sight. Astra disappears. There is no other way to say it, where once there was a girl, now only a cloud of dust remains. Benkei steps forward, and slashes downwards. A single stroke, a perfect straight line. Not at the speed of light, not at a speed beyond human comprehension, just a single slash on her own rhythm, on her own pace. She slashes, takes a deep breath and exhales. Benkei opens her eyes once more. Astra and Nova stand in front of her, holding onto each other, their eyes closed, her sword an inch away from their faces. “Is this my win then?” She smiles. “If the other me didn’t end the fusion and kill our acceleration right as we took our first step… You really would have killed us, I think,” Nova lets out a long sigh, she is absolutely exhausted, from at least three different things that happened today. “Hm, really? I think it would have been possible that my sword would break.” She casually stabs herself on the chest, and the sword disappears within her once more. Astra watches the scene with mixed feelings of interest and disgust. “That sword… would never break...” Nova’s other voice says, quaking a little. “What is that sword? It’s not a Treasure Brave, is it?” “Hm, I don’t really know myself!” Benkei laughs, embarrassed. “Do you know how treasure braves are born? They come from legends, people’s belief in them births power, which they then can return to a person. But this world was invaded by the Zodiacs not long ago, roughly a century. That’s when Braves started existing on this world, and when the seeds of Treasure Braves were first planted. More ancient the legend, more powerful the treasure becomes.” “I can’t follow...” Astra can’t even tell Darkwurm is the one talking, much less understand where this plot is going. “Every single blade on this world is younger than one hundred years old. Except for one sword… A sword known to be immortal, and come back from every battlefield it ever enters, a legend older than all Braves. A Bloodstained Immortal Brave...” “...” Benkei says nothing. She had no idea of any of that, but looking at it from her standing, it makes her feel guilty. The legend that goes back more than a century didn’t belong to her, it belonged to the entire platoon. First they allowed her to live that day, and now she finds out she has lived to this day because of them. “All your power… comes from your bond with them, Benkei. That sword carries the blood, sweat and tears shed by you and your family, it is a blessing and a keepsake. Don’t feel guilty.” “Haha, nothing… escapes your eyes, huh?” She turns away. “I’ll sleep now, using that form has both of us exhausted. See you later.” “Huh? Wait, was that the other Nova?” “Yes. So you could also tell there were two of them in there?” “Uh, yes, sort of...” She can’t tell Benkei she reads Nova’s diary. “It seems both need to sleep for a while, so I guess I’ll carry her.” “Could you… let me, instead?” “...Sure, can you handle her?” “She’s lighter than you imagine, I can do it.” Benkei looks at Astra giving the asleep Nova a piggyback ride and can’t help but smile. ‘They really are sisters,’ she says to herself, as they give their backs to the city of puppets and head to somewhere else. It will take a while for them to realize they don’t often walk aimlessly, Nova is always the one guiding them. But they’re all tired and want to take a bath already, they can’t afford to stand still until she wakes up. Why would they leave the city if they want to rest and wash themselves then? Because they’re too used to not staying anywhere and using rivers as bathtubs. These three sisters are special that way. Category:Fanfiction Category:Battle Spirits Rebellion Category:Completed